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Cult of the Dead Cow

How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World

Contributors

By Joseph Menn

Formats and Prices

Price

$11.99

Price

$15.99 CAD

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around June 4, 2019. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

The shocking untold story of the elite secret society of hackers fighting to protect our freedom, “a hugely important piece of the puzzle for anyone who wants to understand the forces shaping the internet age” (The New York Times Book Review

Cult of the Dead Cow is the tale of the oldest active, most respected, and most famous American hacking group of all time. With its origins in the earliest days of the internet, the cDc is full of oddball characters – activists, artists, and musicians – some of whom went on to advise presidents, cabinet members, and CEOs, and who now walk the corridors of power in Washington and Silicon Valley.

Today, the group and its followers are battling electoral misinformation, making personal data safer, and organizing to keep technology a force for good instead of for surveillance and oppression. Cult of the Dead Cow describes how, at a time when governments, corporations, and criminals hold immense power, a small band of tech iconoclasts is on our side fighting back.

  • "An invaluable resource. The tale of this small but influential group is a hugely important piece of the puzzle for anyone who wants to understand the forces shaping the internet age."
    New York Times Book Review
  • "The author narrates a fast-paced story about how a little-known movement that could trace its roots to the psychedelic rock of the 1960s-one visionary was the son of the Jefferson Airplane's drummer, while another was a lyricist for the Grateful Dead-would eventually serve as security advisory for the Pentagon, the cybernetics industry, and geopolitical forces around the globe... A quick tale of black hats and white hats, with a lot of gray area in between."
    Kirkus Reviews
  • "Long before there was a multi-billion dollar cyber industry, there were some ethical hackers who showed us that the Silicon Valley emperors had no clothes. They looked like misfits, but they showed us how insecure the Internet was and how to make it better. Joe Menn makes this previously untold story entertaining and relevant to today's cyber threats."
    Richard A. Clarke, first White House "Cyber Czar"

On Sale
Jun 4, 2019
Page Count
272 pages
Publisher
PublicAffairs
ISBN-13
9781541762374

Joseph Menn

About the Author

Joseph Menn is an investigative reporter on cybersecurity and disinformation at The Washington Post, where he was a co-finalist for the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. He previously wrote for Reuters, Financial Times, and Los Angeles Times. His other books include Fatal System Error and All the Rave. He lives in San Francisco, California.

Learn more about this author